Patra's Place will be mostly about my linen collection, but also about my SINS (Stuff I'll Never Stitch), UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and projects that I am currently working on. Since I created this first blog, I have diversified somewhat! You can see the list of my other blogs, and my favourite websites and blogs by other people, on the sidebar.

"It takes ages to finish a quilt you're not working on!"

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Rolling up sleeves and getting down to business.

I am the Queen of lists. I make lists for everything; sometimes it helps me to organise my life, but other times it just complicates things. But things are going to be different this year. I've just added another blog to my sidebar One Xmas item a month . Narelle led this project last year (and possibly before, but I wasn't aware of her blogs then) and when I discovered her on Melody's blog I hopped across to see what it was all about. Everyone who joins up commits themself to making one Xmas themed project a month, and posts a photo on Narelle's blog on the 25th of each month. I made myself a Christmas project list last year. Three weeks before Christmas. Of course that was one of the above mentioned complications at that time of the year, and all I did was make quick and easy mats from my stash - all very nice but not what I'd planned on.

So I've joined up with Narelle's group and made myself a list. One page with 12 lines, January to December. I went through my magazines and picked out twelve Xmas themed projects that I intended to make in previous years but never got around to it. I've even got the materials for January's project ready and sitting on my table and all going well, I'll whip it up tomorrow (we're going out today otherwise it would have been done today). Most of these projects are small and easy - no huge quilts and wall hangings....well maybe one. I bought a beautiful Xmas panel on eBay last year with the intention of embellishing it with embroidery and beads for a wall hanging to enter into the Lilydale show. But it never got started, so perhaps I'll make it a long term thing where I just do a bit at a time over this year.

I've printed out another 'list' sheet from a blog dedicated to simple living, which has heaps of good ideas on organising yourself - this particular list is titled 'Projects to Try'. As most of you who read this blog would know, we all have heaps of books and magazines with markers attached to indicate the things we want to do. I've even made a journal listing them all, so why on earth would I now want to make another LIST?? Well, in the journal I listed everything I'd like to do, but I do realise that I'll never achieve that, so I'm going to go through the journal and pick out the items that I had in mind for other people, or simply because they strongly appeal to me. In between all these, I've got fabric to make up into quilts for the PNG babies....it's going to be a busy year. Hopefully Ken will find his retirement feet and spend more time with his mates going fishing or bike riding, leaving me to do my own thing at home in peace!